Title: What Was Lost #1 out of 10

About the Work:

Each image explores the tension of being both inside and outside of society in the Congo where grew up.

My childhood dress was fluffy and fun expressing the simplicity and innocence of childhood, in contrast with the danger, fear and uncertainty that marked my survival as a little girl during an escape from an uprising in the Congo.

This is an original soft ground etching, from an edition of ten, this piece is #1 out of 10, on 100% Somerset rag printmaking paper. It is 22x30in with the image bleeding off all four edges. I used this particular dress in this image because it is reminiscent of one of the dresses I wore as a child.

About the Etching Technique:

The metal plate is rolled with a resist ground and the image is drawn through the ground exposing the metal. The metal plate is exposed to a mordant of copper sulphate and salt that etches the image into the metal. The colour is Japanese paper integrated into the print with the chine colle technique. The plate is hand-wiped with etching ink and the image is transferred to paper using a hand-operated etching press.

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Karen Cornelius holds the Copyright on all her artwork. No image may be reproduced for any reason without the consent of the artist.